Gum and Sparks
by vegetanime
Summary: After loosing his memories to an Specialist Nen-user, Killua wanders around lost and confused until a certain jester finds him. Together they'll find out who the reponsable is, while trying to recover Killua's memories and, most importantly, find Gon. Hisoka x Killua
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR's NOTE: Okay, so my first HisoKillu. I'm so excited! Although, to be honest, it's kind of a compass without sense of direction. I mean, I love the couple, because they are my favorite characters in the series, but how many scenes have they had where Hisoka actually acknowledged Killu's presence? 3? Maybe 4? That's why they are so difficult to write, but I hope this idea works. Please enjoy!**

Hisoka had been heading to his hotel room in the god's forsaken village, which was admittedly the biggest around, yet still too rural and simplistic for his tastes. He had been hired to assassinate an important mafia boss of the nearest country, who had taken refuge on the most inconspicuous place he could find. He had made sure to prolong his death, of course.

The job in itself had been easy, maybe too easy, and the only happening that had entertained him had been the fight against the mafia boss's most loyal followers, who had been two Nen users in their early thirties. One had been an Enhancer and the other a Conjurer, both with abilities good enough to make the whole ordeal worth it.

Now that his blood-high was dying, however, irritation was starting to take over his mind, and an annoyed jester is not something the world wanted to see. He was thinking of heading back to York Shin when he spotted a familiar enough figure in front of him.

He almost lost his train of thought, doing a double take before smiling wickedly. And sure enough, walking distractedly towards him and clutching a brown paper bag to his chest was none other than the Zoldyk's heir, Killua. His face lit up at the prospect of a good fight, or at least an interesting little adventure, because trouble always seemed to follow the white-haired hunter and his inseparable friend. Speaking of which, he couldn't spot him anywhere, and his pedo-sense wasn't tingling either. Maybe the young pair had separated for a while to look for something like they sometimes did, or they had had a fight, if the somewhat sad expression on KIllua's face was any indication.

Thinking of how cute the little boys were he decided to approach the ex-assassin, hoping he would lead him towards his beloved Ringo-chan. He was sure the easiest and quickest way of conciliation for those two was to have a common enemy to fight, namely himself.

The kid was near enough to start noticing his presence and more importantly his huge -although suppressed- Nen, but continued walking with his mind seemingly far far away. What a great harm breakheart can do to a warrior's concentration, he thought amusedly.

"If it isn't the snow-haired Zoldyk." he said as a way of greeting when they crossed paths, hands on his hips and a smirk in place.

The kid, however, ignored him and went on walking, hugging the bag protectively against his chest. He frowned when he noticed the lack of reaction from both the boy and his Nen, which was very strange indeed. With Illumi's training burned into his mind, even if the boy had been forcing himself into ignoring him, his Nen would have subconsciously been altered. The boy still didn't have that good of a control over it, did he?

With big strides he placed himself before the young hunter and bent down to meet his gaze.

"Are,are. That wasn't very nice, ignoring me like that."

The boy turned his lost gaze towards him with a start, and Hisoka's frown deepened when he saw no fear or wariness, just surprise.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry, were you talking to me?" he asked shyly, looking at him with big, blue eyes.

"Of course, Killua. To whom else?" he retorted, tilting his head slightly and scowling. There was definitely something wrong. That or the Zoldyk kid was playing him. If that was the case he'd have to make sure to congratulate him, not many had had the guts to try and remain this calm.

"Killu- Oh! Do you know me?" suddenly the boy seemed unexplainably excited, and his eyes shone with hope.

Knowing something was wrong but being unable to pinpoint what exactly, he tried a different approach.

"Where's Gon?"

"… who?" asked the boy after some confused beats of silence.

Hisoka had heard enough. If the brat was trying to provoke him he had succeeded. Spectacularly. Grabbing the slender arm in an iron grip he guided the squirming and protesting boy to a secluded blind alley. Now, away from prying eyes, he stopped on his tracks and turned to the young hunter. He was looking at him with too wide, alarmed eyes and he was trembling, completely unmasked fear rolling off of him.

It wasn't the usual fear he had come to associate with the Zoldyk heir-the rational, calculated fear for his power and bloodlust-, but the kind of fear a toddler holds for the monster under the bed. Childish. Irrational.

"I-I'm sorry if I did something wrong! Please don't hurt me, I don't even know you and I really don't have any mon-"

"What's your eldest brother's name?" cut the magician with a frown.

The boy stopped his rant and swallowed nervously, obviously trying to come up with an answer that didn't upset him.

"I-I don't know" he started softly, unable to hold his gaze "I didn't even know I had siblings. M-maybe you could take me to them? I've been kind of lost and-"

"You've lost your memories"-once again interrupted Hisoka, and to his own amazement he sounded actually surprised.

"I-I think so. I-I mean, I woke up alone in the middle of nowhere, and I couldn't remember a thing. Thankfully, some farmers were coming from the village at the other side of the mountains to sell their products in this market, so they took me with them. If it hadn't been for them I'd still be-"

"What about Nen? Do you remember Nen?" asked the jester, getting more agitated than before. Gon was missing, Killua had amnesia, and if he had forgotten how to use Nen too he would get royally pissed off. Suddenly, his day was looking more annoying by the minute.

"Who is Nen?" asked Killua shyly, clutching his bag close to his chest.

"It's not a person, it's an ability. We are able to alter our inner energy and use it to fight by strengthening our body, sharpening our senses and creating attacks. Here." he explained quickly, hoping that the ignorance would only be due to memory loss and that the boy's body still remembered Nen.

To test his theory, he lifted a finger and formed a heart with his energy. He knew first hand that after the training they had undergone on Greed Island with the deceivingly young lady it had become a second nature for the young duo to use Gyo.

Killua, however, just stared blankly at his raised index finger and then looked around, and it suddenly downed on the magician that he was searching for the joke.

"A-ano… Not to be rude, but are you sure you're alright?"

Hisoka was positively seething now. How dare he forget Nen? So maybe he hadn't paid much attention to the kid for being Illumi's own unripe fruit and all, but he had still so much amusement to offer, especially after he had perfected his Nen enough to transmute it into electricity. But now all had gone down the drain. What if Gon had forgotten too? Whoever had done this would pay dearly, he'd make sure of that. But first, he had to make Killua react to his Nen somehow.

"And Hatsu? Have you forgotten Hatsu too?" he asked in a furious tone, his usual smoothness completely forgotten.

"Wha…" began the boy while taking a step backwards, cowed by the anger in the jester's voice.

"This is Hatsu!" he shouted, letting his Nen flow and expand, admittedly using more Ren than Hatsu, making it impossible for someone to approach without using Ten.

The boy yelped and stopped breathing altogether, his eyes so wide they could fall out of their sockets and sweat sliding down his face. When blue eyes met golden, he let out a frightened scream and started running for the main street.

Hisoka snapped out of his angry state and appeared before Killua, covering his only exit and making him halt. They boy looked up at him with terrified and wet eyes, tears running down his porcelain cheeks. He looked like a little rabbit trapped before a magnificent and poisonous snake.

The magician tsked and muttered a "That's no good" before crouching in front of the kid, who now seemed to be hyperventilating.

"Ok, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I thought it would give you some memories back, but clearly I was wrong." he said with surprisingly not faked resignation, trying to make himself look as unthreatening as possible.

It seemed to work, because after a few beats of silence, the boy calmed down enough to talk.

"Y-you weren't trying to-to k-kill me?" he whispered uncertainly, clutching his bag so tight he thought he heard something snap.

"Of course not." huffed Hisoka "If I had wanted you dead you'd already be"

As soon as it left his mouth, the jester mentally facepalmed himself. Clearly not the best reassuring speech for a child.

The boy, however, surprised him by smiling shyly and murmuring a soft "okay" after watching him with wide eyes for a few seconds. He seemed to finally calm down as he used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe the tears away. Hisoka was thankful, because he wouldn't have known if he'd have been able to cope with a crying kid.

"Gon might be in the same situation you are. That's why you need to remember something that will lead us to…"

"Who's Gon?" KIllua interrupted, looking at him with big, blue eyes shining with curiosity and an innocence he wasn't used to seeing in the young Zoldyk.

"He's your friend" he answered, keeping the frown away from his face.

"Is he your friend too?" the boy asked again, tilting his head.

Hisoka widened his eyes in surprise, completely taken off guard by the question. Explaining their relationship would be complicated and it'd surely scare the boy away, so he went along with the suggestion.

"Yeah, you could say so, I guess."

"Cool." murmured the boy, excitement taking over his features "So my name's Killua, right?" the jester nodded "What's yours?"

"Hisoka" answered the magician, eyeing the boy's excitement with interest.

Suddenly the boy's face fell and he blushed deeply. At Hisoka's raised eyebrow, he turned his gaze to the side and began fidgeting.

"Ano… I was thinking that… as my friend is your friend too… maybe we should…could…" Hisoka had to suppress an amused chuckle when the kid started twiddling his thumbs in front of his tightly clutched bag. "…look for this Gon together or something? I-if it's okay with you, that's it." finally, he found enough courage to look into those slanted, golden eyes and let out what had been bothering him since he woke up amnesiac. "I-I've been feeling quite lonely, because I couldn't remember anything and I was afraid of people taking advantage of that. You're the first to recognize me , and-and I'd like to know more about myself and find this friend of ours and you're pretty strong, so it should be easy if we go together… right?" he said hopefully, and if Hisoka didn't know better, he would have sworn the kid was making puppy dog eyes.

"Of course. I was thinking the same thing, Killua. We'll find Gon together, ne?" he answered with a reassuring smile, which without bloodlust or scary Nen was actually quite convincing.

And just like that, the boys nervousness disappeared and he returned the smile with a big, shining one of his own.

Mentally patting himself in the back for getting the boy's trust, the magician noticed something.

"Are? What are you carrying in the bag, Killua? I think it's starting to melt" he said, pointing the substance dropping from the bottom of the paper bag.

The boy widened his eyes in comical alarm and shouted a stressed "Oh, no!" while taking out a half melted strawberry flavored ice cream.

"Aww… I spend 2 days working in a shop to buy these" he whined, taking out another two ice cream pots in similar states with a pout.

The jester straightened up while chuckling, and offered his hand to the ex-assassin.

"Come, I'll buy you some more"

The kid looked up quickly, a hopeful and delighted expression on his face. "Really?"

"Yeah." He replied, taking the bag and ice creams and throwing them to the side. "Let's go. I'll buy you a chocolate one."

Killua stopped licking his sticky fingers to look at him. "Chocolate?"

Hisoka found himself unable to hide his smirk, thinking of how interesting it would be watching the boy while he rediscovered his love for chocolate.

**That's all, folks! Please, review for any suggestions or comments that you wanna make. Also, I know Killua seems a bit OOC, but I've decided to make him that way because he is insecure without his memories, and will gradually turn back to the Killua we all know and love. At least that's the plan, I've never written Killua so he may not be the same as in the series. I'll try my best though (and I'm open to ideas and a lil help XD)!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to all of you who liked and followed this story, especially to those who took their time to write a review, I hope you stay interested! Here's chapter 2, sorry if you think it's too short, but I had to cut it here 'cause next chapter will be in Killua's point of view, so…yeah. Here it is.**

Hisoka looked sideways at the white haired boy who was currently licking at his chocolate ice cream, his expression happy and cat-like. They had just left the nice café were the amnesiac boy had spent the afternoon rediscovering his passion for sweets. It had been quite entertaining to sit on the plush sofas of the café, sipping at his raspberry smoothie and watching the kid inhaling an alarming amount of treats under the astonished stares of the staff, who obviously weren't aware of the young Zoldyck's immunity to food poisoning.

It had also been oddly gratifying to watch the guilty blush taking over the kid's face once he caught sight of the bill. And the small pleased noises Killua had let slip while tasting the chocolate mousse and similar sweet treats had made his day, even though he'd had trouble controlling himself -Thankfully, the ex-assassin had been too occupied and had continued oblivious-.

Now that his chocolate orgy was over, he could see the kid throwing curious glances at him, surely full of questions but too shy to ask anything. It was almost cute to see how shy the usual cynical and rude boy could be without his huge ego and family background's pressure.

Finally, the kid seemed to gather enough courage to ask something.

"Ano…, Hisoka… san?

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?" the boy was clearly encouraged by the jester's lack of scolding or whatever he thought Hisoka would do. After a nod from the man he continued. "Were you working on a circus or a parade when we met earlier?"

The magician raised an eyebrow and repeated slowly.

"Circus?"

"Could we go? It's been so long since I went to one!" the bot pleaded with shiny eyes and an eager expression.

"So you do remember what a circus is and when you went for the last time?"

At that the ex-assassin paused, suddenly looking a bit crestfallen.

"I haven't remembered anything if that's what you mean. I just know what things are and what they mean to me, and I've got this feeling of familiarity whenever I see something- like with chocolate-, but I can recall the exact memory"

"Oh, that's unfortunate" mussed Hisoka, before suddenly stopping walking. The boy turned to him with questioning eyes. "Why did you think I worked at a circus?"

"Oh, you don't?" blinked the snow haired boy "Well, you're dressed up, so I thought you'd belong to some kind of spectacle."

"Dressed up?"

"Well, yeah. You wouldn't walk around dressed like the joker of a card deck, would you?" laughed Killua with surprising confidence.

Hisoka didn't knew whether to be amused or annoyed. He was sure many people thought his choice of clothing was obnoxious and ridiculous, but no one had ever said anything for fear of his wrath surely. Not even people with a good chance of winning against him, like the Genei Ryodan- although those were as strange and obnoxious as him, so it would be quite hypocrite of them-. Not even honest and innocent Gon had said anything, much less laughing and smiling.

Thankfully for the both of them, he was a difficult person to anger.

"Well, that is unfortunate, for there is no circus anywhere around here" he replied easily, waiting for the boy to catch up.

At that, Killua actually paused, and after some seconds of contemplation his eyes widened in horror when he understood the implication.

"O-Oh! I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to- to… _offend_ you. I-"

"It's okay, Killua" he assured while chuckling. The snow haired assassin was surprisingly sweet without his memories, although Hisoka suspected the usual cockiness would be back as soon as he got comfortable on his own skin again.

They stood in silence for some time, with Killua fidgeting uncomfortably while Hisoka watched on with amusement. Finally, the boy broke the silence with a question.

"Can you tell me about my family?" he asked, looking at him from the corner of his eyes.

"Mh ~" he tapped his finger against his chin in a thoughtful manner "They're a very special family, very rich and powerful. They live in a huge mansion all alone built at the top of a creepy mountain. You're four brothers, your parents and grandpa, and lots of butlers."

"Oh, that's cool! And what do my parents work as?"

"Actually, every one of them is an assassin."

"Oh" was the only thing the boy said, and the thoughtful silence lasted for a few moments until he asked again "Am I an assassin too?"

"Well, technically. Not anymore though. You had a rebellious streak lately."

"Rebellious streak? What does that even mean?"

"You decided to run away and try new things, apparently"

The snow-haired boy seemed to be assimilating the new information when the metaphorical light bulb became alight above his head.

"And that's when I met Gon?"

"Pin~Pon~" the jester answered cheerfully, raising a finger "You became friends rather quickly and went looking for adventures together."

"That sounds fun! And do I have more friends?"

"Um~, yes. Two more that I'm aware of, although both of them are always quite occupied."

"Oh." the kid said , and another silence stretched while he thought. Finally, his blue eyes sharpened a little as he threw him a sidelong glance. "You're an assassin too, aren't you?"

"Are?" he asked in mock surprise, cocking his head to the side with a chibi expression. "Whatever gave me away?"

At his display, Killua cracked a smile.

"I don't know, I just thought so. Maybe it's a residual memory."

They continued walking towards the hotel, each one of them with their own thoughts in mind.

'_He doesn't seem too bothered by it, neither mine nor his job._ _That's good, it means he'll be able to cope with whatever we'll find when looking for Gon. If he can't, I'll just have to dump him with his family and look for another way to look for Ringo-chan. Aw, I hope it doesn't come to that- Too boring~.'_

"Does it bother you?" he asked, looking at the boy from the corner of his slanted eyes.

"What, you being an assassin? I'll admit it's pretty unsettling at first, but it kinda explains why you're so strong and creepy. Also, assassins only kill when paid, so I suppose I'm safe… unless someone has asked you to kill me. Has he or she, and this was my last meal before death?" asked the boy with a small smirk, letting his dark humor show its face.

"I could still kill you for fun" pointed Hisoka with a smirk of his own.

"That would be the same for other people too, so it makes no difference if you're an assassin or not. Although… didn't you want to find Gon? A bit difficult without me."

The jester blinked at the kid's sudden blatant confidence, but soon composed himself and grinned widely.

"Oh, Killua-chan, you're sooo~ smart"

Blue eyes gave him a funny look until their owner decided his blush was too red not to notice and turned his head away, making the magician laugh.

They shared another short silence until the younger broke it again.

"Hisoka-san…?" he started, taking the jester out of his thoughts.

" 'Hisoka-san'? That makes me feel so old!" he flinched and closed his eyes, taking a hand to his chest in mock hurt.

"Sorry. How do I call you then?" asked Killua, stifling a laugh at his antics.

The magician opened an eye to look at him with a smirk.

"Hisoka is fine."

"Okay. Hisoka, are we going to start looking for Gon tomorrow?"

"Yeah. First of all, I'd like to see the place where you woke up. There might be some clues on our next objective"

"Sounds like a plan" said the boy with obvious excitement.

Finally, they reached the hotel door. It was the biggest and newest building in the whole town, and even then it was ridiculously small and primitive compared to the skyscrapers from York Shin. Killua, however, didn't seem to remember any of it, and looked quite nervous at the 'luxury' and the many people coming and going. Understandable, really, taking into account the young lad had mentioned that he had spent the majority of the past week alone and escaping from others for fear of being taken advantage of.

In an effort to make him comfortable again, he pointedly looked at the boy's empty hands and blinked exaggeratedly.

"Are? Where's your ice cream?"

The kid gave him a small smile as he turned his attention to him.

"I finished it ages ago, before you started explaining anything"

"Aww~… I wanted some of it too~" he complained in a childish voice, complete with pout and all.

When the kid's small smile turned into a cheeky grin, he knew he had done a good job.

"You'll need to be faster next time" he said, finally entering the hotel with the magician on his heels.

'_Oh, yes. That's more like it. It won't be long before we have our dear ol' Killua back, and then it'll be easier for him to remember. Although I may miss the sweet cutie act he has right now… Hm~ I might need two Killua~'_

They took the stairs and, with mental whines and murmured complaints about the lack of elevator, they arrived to his room in no time. He fished out his keycard from under his wristbands and let himself in, holding the door open for the boy to enter. The ex-assassin entered the room excitedly and wasted no time looking around, curiosity shining bright in his eyes.

Hisoka could honestly affirm that even though it was the best he had found in the entire god forsaken village, it was not much: a small living room with a homey fireplace facing two loveseats and a comfy sofa, a TV in one corner with a cupboard on the other and two adjacent doors which led to the bathroom and bedroom respectively. It didn't matter if Hisoka wouldn't have been found dead in this place if he'd had a choice: by the way Killua's eyes lit up it could as well have been a fairytale palace.

"Wow! This is where we'll be spending the night? I love it! It has a nice, kinda warmish cozy feeling to it, doesn't it?"

"It's too rural for my tastes, but I see what you mean"

" 'Too rural'!? Man, if this is too rural for you then I _so _want to see a city! It must be spectacular!" even though the boy had started in a disbelieving tone, he had finished speaking with an excited swept of arms.

Narrowing his eyes with suspicion, he threw a sideways glance to the kid.

"This room isn't as great as for you to behave like that. Where have you been sleeping since you woke up amnesiac? A sty?"

At that the boy's shining face fell a little, remembering his unpleasant week.

"Oh, in benches mostly. There's also an animal shelter not too far from here where homeless people sometimes spend the night. Although, there's something that's been bothering me: it seems that I don't require as much sleep as other's do. I've even spent a couple of days awake and I'm quite okay. Do you know why?"

For the magician's amusement, it seemed as though talking about sleeping had made the kid's body aware of its much needed rest, and suddenly the excited chirp moderated into a hardly awake slur. Hisoka didn't even bother to hide the small smirk that crept into his face.

"Oh, that'd be because of your training. I've heard you can spend almost a week without sleep" his smile broadened by the second, because the boy's lids were closing a little with each word.

"Cool" he drawled, not bothering to muffle his yawn and rubbing tiredly at his eyes.

"Well, this has been a long day for you, especially after such a strange and stressful week. It must have been very taxing." He only got a sleepy nod in response, so he continued. "Come on. You'll get the bed."

He made sure Snow White- he chuckled to himself at the appropriate nickname- was following him as he made his way towards the bedroom. He would have urged him along by resting a hand on his shoulder, nape or small back; but although Killua hadn't actively complained about it, he could tell from the evening in the café that he was still a little wary of him and therefore would get uncomfortable to touch. It had been his own fault really, scaring him like that in the alleyway, but at the moment it had never crossed his mind to act otherwise: after all, he was a man of impulses.

The bedroom wasn't much either: a small dresser, a body-length mirror and a bed, which he guided the boy to. He didn't even bother with undressing and simply dropped like a rock on it. Clicking his tongue amusedly, he pried away the comforter from under the kid and tucked him in into the bed properly.

"If I sleep here where will you sleep?" he drawled from under the eiderdown.

Putting an exaggeratedly flirty face on, he cocked his head to the side with a lewd smile on.

"Are? Can't I sleep here with you, Killu~chan?" he laughed when the kid still managed to crack open an eye to glare up at him "Don't worry about me, my sweet Snow White, it's still not my bedtime." he assured standing up and heading for the door.

" 'm no SnoWhite" mumbled the ex-assassin, finally surrendering himself to Morpheus' control.

He muttered an amused "good night" and exited the room, closing the door after him. He headed straight to the cupboard and poured himself a tumbler of scotch from a bottle he had bought in the pub below: the only luxury in the whole town.

He sat down on one of the loveseats, musing over his bizarre day while scrolling down the message list on his cell phone. What had started off as a boring and uneventful day had ended up with an amnesiac Zoldyck heir on his bedroom and a missing Ringo-chan. Who would have told?

Reading the updates the Spiders had sent about their leader's Nen-less condition, he finished his shot and left it on top of the cupboard. It seemed that the Nen- remover they had found in Greed Island still hadn't completed his task. Sighing dejectedly -because dammit, he really wanted to fight Chrollo!-, he looked sideways at the sofa he'll have to spend the night on and sighed again.

Oh well, if only to get Ringo-chan back…

**X**

**END OF CHAPTER** **2**

**Hope you've liked it. Any question, comment, idea, complaint… please let me know. See you in next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**okay! so here's the next chapter! Thanks to all of you who followed or/and favorited this story, especially to those who took their time to leave a review. It means a lot **

**Also, thanks to Lucinia's Lullaby, for reminding me that Killua is still a kid who would realistically be freaked out of his past deeds., and to Milye6 ,who helped me focus with his/her critics.**

**And lastly, please forgive my horrible attempt at accented English. Hope that, at least, the message gets through!**

To be honest, he never would have guessed he'd end up with a possibly homicidal and insanely strong clown- magician, he reminded himself- for company when he woke up. He didn't know why he was surprised, really, taking into account the crazy and stressful week he'd had. The fear and confusion he'd felt during those long, lonely days made him welcome the creepy company with open arms. Obviously, he still didn't trust him completely, especially after the stunt he'd pulled in the alley- he'd never been so afraid in all his life, but then again he was amnesiac so he couldn't really tell-. Nevertheless, the man had been nothing but pleasant since then - he'd even treated him to sweets! How awesome was that?-, which was more than he'd hoped to find in this town. And even if he couldn't really trust him, he could at least trust his motives: finding their mutual missing friend, this Gon.

He honestly wanted to meet this guy- 'cause he sounded awesome and the more he thought about him the more he felt a warmth in his chest-; but right now he needed stability, something certain he could follow and believe in, and if that something happened to be a creepy clown then so be it.

X

X

It had been like being born again. At the beginning it was all blackness and it felt like being surrounded by water. His senses were bottled up, his mind a peaceful blank. Then suddenly something snapped: he felt an unbearable pressure in his chest, the hard terrain digging into his back, the soft breeze caressing his oversensitive skin and a small shadow shielding him from the scorching heat of the sun. He was drowning, unable to breathe properly. He absent-mindedly thought he'd die, but he couldn't do a thing about it. He couldn't move a muscle.

And then something sharp and pointy stabbed him in the cheek. As if waking up from a nightmare, he brusquely breathed in a gulp of air, his arm automatically shooting out to strike his attacker. It croaked indignantly and, at the sound of flapping wings, he opened his eyes to discover a crow flying away. He dazedly sat up and brought a hand to where the bird had pecked him. It was bleeding, but he ignored it for the time being to focus in more pressing matters, like finding out where the hell he was.

Looking around, he saw a rocky valley surrounded by tree-covered mountains. The valley was occasionally spotted with flowery patches and crossed with a narrow, earthy road. He still couldn't pinpoint where he was, but now at least he knew it was a rural place, seemingly far from cities.

After three failed attempts, he managed to stand up while holding his pounding head. Everything hurt, yet he didn't know why. He looked dizzily around. Why was he here? He had absolutely no idea. Suddenly, an unexplainable anguish took over him.

"Boy! Hey, boy! Ya a'right?"

He whipped his head to the side, following the loud yelling until he spotted an old, wooden carriage. A beefy man had hopped off and was headed in his direction.

"What a fright, kiddo! Ya were just lying there, unmoving, with a crow by your side! We thought ya were a goner! Not a good omen, those crows, I tell ya."

"I-I..."he stuttered, voice hoarse from disuse.

"Ya need help?" asked the man taking in his sickly complexion and misty eyes.

" Y-yeah. I think I do."

"Come on then, I'll take ya to m'ride. What happen'd kiddo? Ya look in pain."

"I'm not sure..."he whispered with a hand in his head.

The man nodded his head in sympathy and guided him to his carriage with a hand on his shoulder to stabilize him. When they reached the vegetable-filled carriage, a tall, slender woman climbed out.

"Is he a'right?" she asked in a worried tone.

"So-so. He's hurtin', but he doesn't really know what happen'd"

"Maybe we should take him to the doctor in tha village? We're heading there anyways."

"Yeah, maybe that's for the best." answered her husband, turning away to start rummaging in a bag inside the cart.

"What do ya think, honey? We're headin' to tha nearest village, Dohnestev. We can take ya to tha doctor there. It ain't too pricey. What do ya say?" she asked him with a kind smile.

"If it's not a bother for you..." he whispered a little sheepishly.

" O'course not! We're goin' there to sell our products in the market, so it's not a bother to carry someone else with us. And God knows our son'll appreciate the distraction, and we the silence."

"HEY! I heard tha'!" came an indignant high-pitched voice from somewhere inside the carriage.

"O'course ya did. I didn't raise a deaf kid" she answered, amused, before turning back to him "Come on, climb in there. Sorry there ain't much space…"

"Wait" called the beefy man, with some bandages and jars in hand "Do ya have any open wounds? Better to wrap 'em up now."

As it turned out, the only bleeding wound was the crow's peck- which got covered by a horribly smelly pomade and bandages-, but his body was covered in various bruises and burn marks that had the couple worried.

He finally climbed in the backside of the carriage with some help from the beefy man. As he made himself a place between lettuces and pumpkins, he saw a boy younger than himself playing with some tied threads, a look of pure concentration set on his round face. When he finished settling himself, he discovered said boy had completely discarded the threats and was now looking at him with big, shiny eyes.

"Hi! Finally someone to talk to! Wha' were ya doin' down there, lying in tha dirt? Is it some kin' o'game? Or were ya shot and left for dead? Are ya friends with crows or was it trying to eat ya? Or maybe you were-"

"Jeice!" scolded his father as he sat down in front of the reins and got ready to leave again "Forgive ma' son, once he starts talkin' he doesn't know when to shut up." he added in a sort of apologetic voice.

The boy only laughed and continued asking questions.

"Hey, so what's yer name, stranger? Ma' name's Jeice and Momma is Jeline and Poppa is Roan. Not fair that ya know our names but we don't know yers!"

Not commenting on the strange mechanics of the boy's logic, he racked his brain looking for an answer, but drew out blank. Something unpleasant settled tight on his chest, and he was at the verge of blurting out his ignorance. However, he knew that not knowing one's own name would be seen as strange and suspicious, so he went in with the first that came to mind.

"Raven"

"Raven? That's funny!" laughed the boy while pointing at him and holding his other hand to his stomach.

"Jeice!" chided his mother, but the boy ignored her.

"That's silly, 'cause ya know, ravens are black and yer so pale and even yer hair's white!"

"Jeice! Manners!" hissed the woman, making her son laugh.

He gave a tiny smile through the pounding of his head.

"You're right. So silly, isn't it?" he agreed, fighting the sadness that came with lying to the nice family that was helping him.

'_It's not lying. I myself don't know the truth, so it might as well be my name' _hethought while tuning out the younger's boy's ramblings, for the sake of his hurting head.

Their journey came to an end at dust, with the boy having been talking nonstop while he himself hummed and nodded from time to time, the tightness in his chest becoming more and more pressing as minutes ticked by.

The carriage stopped at the village's crowded square and they all hopped off.

"It's too late for the doctor now… Do ya know anywhere ya can spend tha night, kiddo?"

"If not, ya can spend tha night with us. We'll stay here tonight and we'll leave tomorrow's night. We could take ya early tomorrow to tha doctor's…" offered the woman, ignoring her son's cheers and joyful yells.

"No, thanks." he quickly cut her "I can manage on my own"

The truth was, he was feeling sick. The pounding head, the unpleasant tightness in his chest and throat and the overall throbbing pain in his entire body was making him desperate for a release. He just wanted to leave all this crowd behind and run away. Run away and _breathe_. He knew he'd regret not taking up their offer, but right now he needed to disappear, before they noticed the cool sweat forming on his forehead and back.

"Ya sure, kiddo?" asked the beefy man worriedly, eyeing him suspiciously. "Ya don't look that good to me."

"I'm just tired. Really, I'll be fine. Thanks for the ride"

"But how are ya goin' to pay tha doctor tomorrow? It ain't free, ya know?" protested the woman with her hands on her hips.

"I have money." he lied, sighing at the raised eyebrows he got from both adults. "Really. Right here" he promised, patting his back pocket.

"Honey, it really ain't no bother to-"

"No, no, it's not that. I'm really fine, I promise. I just needed the ride. I've got acquaintances here. I'll be fine, don't worry." he lied swiftly and hurriedly, although he hoped it was true.

"Well… if ya say so…" started the not entirely convinced beefy man, looking sideways at his wife.

"Fine, but promise ya'll come see us before we leave." ordered the woman with a worried frown.

He gave them a wobbly smile and promised. He then turned around and hurriedly ran off, barely hearing the kid's yelled goodbye- "Bye, bye, Raven!"

He ran as fast as his tired legs could carry him down the narrow and winding streets, twisting and jumping to avoid knocking down civilians. The more he went on, the less people and houses he passed by, until he finally arrived at an almost desolated area near the river.

He dropped to his knees, panting heavily while the world twirled around him, sweat running down his face and mingling with the involuntary tears. He felt bile rising up his throat and barely had time to suck in a little air before he was spilling his almost empty stomach. Shortly after he started dry heaving, and every second became an eternity. Gratefully, his stomach finally settled and he was able to catch his breath again.

He spit at the floor, trying to get rid of the horrible aftertaste, but to no vail. He dried his sweaty forehead with his sleeve, reluctant to use it as a napkin and get the stench on it. He was almost dreamily watching a drop of drool hanging from his lips when suddenly his ears, now that he could hear something apart from the blood pumping through his veins, caught the sound of water. Looking around with bleary eyes he noticed the stream flowing some meters away from him.

He crawled towards the edge as fast as he could and, without bothering to find out if it was really drinkable, he lowered his mouth into the cool water and drank as much as his weak body would allow him. He then rinsed his mouth and dampened his forehead and nape. He slowly sat back down, trying to breathe properly as he watched the starry sky.

He didn't know what was happening. He didn't know who he was, why he had been laying in the middle of nowhere, why he was hurting all over… why he couldn't remember a thing. His throat tightened painfully at that. He had so many questions but no answers, and he felt an overwhelming anguish tug at his heart, hitching his breath.

A sudden noise snapped him out of those miserable thoughts. He turned his head to the side before even registering he had done it, just to see a brown tail disappear down the corner.

"Just a cat…" he whispered in a hoarse voice, bringing a hand to his face to tiredly rub his eyes.

He stood up on wobbly legs and followed the path the cat had taken, supporting himself with the brick walls at his sides. After a short walk he arrived at a little park, practically empty except for a few cats buzzing with energy after expending the whole day sleeping.

He carefully looked around, and seeing as the place seemed unlikely for people to walk through, he settled down on one of the benches under the great trees that covered the park. He slowly laid down, watching the stars as his heartbeat quieted down. Deciding he was too tired to deal with the sudden bleak situation he found himself in, he closed his eyes and hoped tomorrow would give him some answers. And so, he was lulled to sleep by the pounding on his head and the meowing of the street cats.

**That's all folks! Next chapter will finish Killua's flashback, promise. Complaints, suggestions or ideas? Please leave a review ;)**


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